


A Most Important Mission

by KuriQuinn



Series: The Legacy of Fire [20]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Baby Sarada, Bonding, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Kid Fic, Married Life, New Parents, Papasuke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-24 19:59:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10748769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuriQuinn/pseuds/KuriQuinn
Summary: It is more amusing than it should be that his nine-month-old daughter has outlasted the strongest kunoichi in the world.





	A Most Important Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This story utilizes characters, situations and premises that are copyright Masashi Kishimoto, Shueisha, Shonen Jump and Viz Media. No infringement on their respective copyrights pertaining to episodes, novelizations, comics or short stories is intended by the author in any way, shape or form. This fan oriented story is written solely for the author's own amusement and the entertainment of the readers. It is not for profit. Any resemblance to real organizations, institutions, products or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All fiction, plot and Original Characters with the exception of those introduced in the books, manga, video games, novelizations and anime, are the sole creation of KuriQuinn and using them without permission is considered rude, in bad-taste and will reflect seriously on your credibility as a writer. You will be choked with stringed carrots if you are found plagiarizing.
> 
> Warning: Spoilers for pretty much everything up to Naruto Gaiden.
> 
> Canon-Compliance: Takes place during the Blank Period.
> 
> Fanon-Compliance: Takes place several years before An Inch of Gold and Unplanned.
> 
> AN: Based on a Friday Fic Request fon my tumblr that I thought I had posted here and then just realised tonight that I hadn't. Woops. Well, enjoy it tonight anyhow. Also, to anyone who follows IOG and has not checked my profile or tumblr for updates, I'm going through a writing slump for that particular fic at the moment, so it's on a brief break. I'm hoping as soon as school winds down I'll have more time to spend finishing it, but considering the complexity of the story, I can't spend my already stressful weekends just on the one fic. So sorry! Hopefully the other stuff I'm posting makes up for it!

 

* * *

Sasuke arrives home from his mission to Kiri just as the sun is beginning to go down. He exchanges nods with Izumo and Kotetsu (they no longer startle at the sight of him calmly walking through the doors to the town) and makes a beeline for his house. He's already sent the mission report ahead to Kakashi before arriving, and can undergo debriefing tomorrow; for now, he just wants to see his family.

Although he now has strong ties to Konoha, the part of him that will always crave the vagabond lifestyle can't be quieted. He remains here and calls this place his home, because it is the place his brother died to protect and where his family now resides. But every so often he gets restless.

Whenever his wanderlust becomes too great, he approaches Kakashi wish a request for a mission (disguised as a pressing need to investigate some impending danger or another). This way, he doesn't feel too much like he is abandoning wife and child for his own selfish purposes.

Sakura isn't completely happy with it, but she also knows and accepts the he will never be a homebody. She packs him lunches when he goes, and promises to see him when he returns with only the slightest tension in her voice. He knows that whenever she watches his retreating back, she is likely thinking of that night almost ten years ago. It's why he never accepts missions that are longer than a few days.

He's not sure how much longer he'll be able to do that, however.

Sasuke has long been suspicious that the incident with Kaguya was not the end, and he's been cultivating a network of contacts to keep an eye out for any information. It's an important job, and he's not sure how much longer he can put off not doing it himself – especially if the trail leads beyong this dimension.

It's a discussion he keeps putting off for a while now.

Upon reaching the house, he is surprised to find that all is quiet; that's odd for this time of night, as usually Sakura is starting or finishing up dinner. As he puts his cloak away, he wonders if perhaps she is working late and Sarada is at her grandmother's this evening.

He dismisses this thought outright as he becomes aware of the sound of movement in the living room.

Wandering into the room, he pauses in the doorway for a moment, a smile creeping onto his face at the unexpected display.

Sakura is lying on the couch, passed out with an arm thrown over her eyes, mouth open and snoring. There are toys strewn across the floor, as well as baby books, a blanket and even a medical scroll (Sakura sometimes reads those to Sarada when her brain can't take reading the same mundane stories over and over again). Meanwhile, Sarada is sitting up in her playpen, quietly mumbling to herself in toddler's half-gibberish, half-speech. She appears to be having a conversation with Sasuke's old green dinosaur plush toy.

It is more amusing than it should be that his nine-month-old daughter has outlasted the strongest kunoichi in the world.

She seems to sense his attention, because she suddenly looks in his direction and upon seeing him, her face blossoms in delight. Her mouth opens wide to let loose a joyful cry, but Sasuke quickly puts his finger to his lips, indicating she should be quiet and points at Sakura.

Young as she is, Sarada is smart, and knows when something is being asked of her. She mimics him, putting her own tiny index finger to her lips and going, " _Shhh!"_

"I'm going to put your mother to bed," he tells her, voice pitched low. "I'll be right back."

She hasn't yet gotten to that age where she dislikes having her parents out of sight, and to her, this is just a game. She giggles quietly, bouncing a little in place, while Sasuke moves across the room.

With movement born of practice, he scoops Sakura up into his arms, the stump of his left arm supporting her back and shoulders, his right beneath her knees.

Sakura shifts and mutters in her sleep, "Don't warn the tadpoles!", and Sasuke snorts. Even in her sleep, his wife is talkative.

He carriers her bridal-style to her room and lays her down, covering her with the nearby quilt; he'll be back to check on her later.

Returning to the living room, he discovers his daughter has pulled herself up on chubby legs and is jumping up and down in her pen, waiting impatiently for his return.

"Papa!" she crows when he leans down to lift her up, clutching his neck in a chokehold version of a hug and planting a sloppy, wet kiss on his cheek.

"Were you behaved for your mother today?" he asks her.

"Yes!" she cheers.

"What did you do?"

What follows is a confusing diatribe of sound and the occasional complete word, but he listens to it with the same gravity that he would a mission brief. Carrying her through the kitchen, he notes that there is no sign of dinner (Sakura likely fell asleep before preparing it), but there are several bottles of mashed vegetables and rice. He sets her in her high-chair and sets about preparing her dinner.

"Mato!" Sarada demands when she spots Sasuke's favorite food in the fridge; they've recently started to introduce her to more solid foods.

"How do you ask for it properly?" he prompts.

She grins at him, gap-toothed. "Please Mato."

"Hm," he nods, and reaches for the fruit.

Dinner is a quieter-than-usual affair, with Sakura's absence, but no less messy; Sarada appears to be hellbent on wearing her supper instead of consuming it. When it's clear she's had her fill and is far too distracted painting collages of pureed carrot on the table, he picks her up and carries her to the bathroom.

Sasuke settles into their usual bedtime routine – bathing her (which ends up with him being just as drenched as she is and with strawberry-scented bubbles all down his front), patiently enduring her attempts to brush her own hair (and his), helping her clean her teeth (she hates this part, but grudgingly endures when he gives her a warning look) and changing her into her pajamas.

When they pass his bedroom, Sarada peers in and sees Sakura's telltale hair. She begins to squirm, but Sasuke makes another quiet shushing noise.

And again, Sarada puts her own finger to her lips.

"Shhh!" she mimics, and grins at him like they are sharing some secret.

Afterwards he spends an hour tiring her out as much as possible – he has discovered that wire strings can be used as effectively to delight a toddler as they can be to bind enemies. With a little slight of hand and misdirection, he has her toddling back and forth across the room in pursuit of whatever toy he decides to make dance just out of reach.

When she begins to flag, rubbing at her face and whining, he heads back to the kitchen to heat up a bottle of breastmilk (they've started to wean her, but she still takes a bottle at night) and then brings her to her room. Unlike how he was raised, sleeping in the same room as his parents until he was at least three, Sarada has had her own room since they returned home.

"It just makes more sense if I get a call to the hospital in the middle of the night," Sakura had pointed out. "I don't want to wake her."

Which he couldn't really argue with.

It also makes it easier to enjoy private moments with his wife; those were few and far between in the months following Sarada's birth.

Once settled in the small chair in her room, Sasuke maneuvers Sarada into the crook of his right arm, Using the stump of his left arm and slightly uncomfortable contortions of his right fingers, he manages to settle the bottle into her mouth and sits back while she begins to guzzle at it.

Moments like these are the rare ones that he wishes he still had two hands.

Sarada dozes off about halfway through the bottle, giving a tired burp, and Sasuke easily shifts her limp form into her crib. She already snoring (he wonders if she's getting a cold) when he leaves the room.

It's the work of a half hour to clean up the mess in the living room and kitchen, but he doesn't intend to leave it Sakura. She already does more than enough when he's away, and it's clear that she was tired tonight.

Upon returning to his room, Sasuke discovered his wife has turned herself into her usual blanket-cocoon creature. He sits down by her side and reaches out, smoothing back frazzled pink locks.

"I'm home," he tells her quietly. She murmurs unintelligibly from within the covers. "Long day?"

"Mm. Your mission?"

"I'll tell you about it tomorrow," he promises her, leaning down toward her face.

"Alright," she agrees easily, reflexively leaning in to him; then her face screws up and she cracks an eye open. "Go take a shower. You smell like sweat and fake strawberries."

"And you have stringed carrot in your hair, but you don't see me complaining," he replies, pressing a kiss to her temple despite her ineffectual protest.

"It's the latest fashion," she mutters lethargically.

He chuckles. "Go to sleep, Sakura."

"…Welcome home, Sasuke."

 

**Author's Note:**

> 終わり
> 
> Your comments make my day! Reviews and constructive criticism are much appreciated!
> 
> クリ


End file.
